• themeatbridge@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      You can eat dandelion greens, but be careful where you pick them. Some people use pesticides for spiders and ticks around their homes, or weed-killers. You can also boil the greens and flowers to make tea.

        • over_clox@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          I’m not in Australia. The only spiders I know of that might nest under a dandelion are small American jumping spiders.

          They’re effectively harmless, and honestly I wouldn’t eat them, as they are our cute 8 legged kittens that eat the other bugs out there.

          Look first, if no bugs or spiders, then free dandelion food yo! 👍

            • over_clox@lemmy.world
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              5 months ago

              In my area, when people don’t cut their lawns, they damn sure ain’t paying for pesticides.

              • Transporter Room 3
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                5 months ago

                I don’t use pesticides, but when my dogs start coming inside with ticks, I spray flea and tick killer in their fenced area. I imagine others probably do the same.

                • over_clox@lemmy.world
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                  5 months ago

                  Yeah, people that can afford fences can usually also afford to tend to their lawn. Not everyone can afford such luxuries, many folks can just barely afford dog food, to feed their security guard animal.

                • over_clox@lemmy.world
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                  5 months ago

                  Also, you let your dogs inside? We had a large doghouse and like a 200 foot cable runner.

                  Edit: Only our cats were allowed inside.

            • over_clox@lemmy.world
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              5 months ago

              The spiders are optional. Honestly, you’re more likely to encounter their egg sack under a dandelion than the actual mother spider, unless you pluck them early in the morning dew when momma spider might be at home…

          • themeatbridge@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            Almost all of our spiders are completely harmless. Even the black widow and brown recluse are not as dangerous as people think.

            We spray for bugs because people don’t want house spiders in their house.

        • pseudo@jlai.lu
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          5 months ago

          Come discuss at !foraging@lemm.ee I’ve eaten dandelion before and I’m still hear to tell the story. I’ve made side dish of the stem. And it taste good. It’s a vegetable without a strong taste.
          The leaves are grow and sell as salad even if it is not as common as lettuce. It has much more flavour than to stem.

          • rayyy@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            Dandelion leaves can be bitter but some people actually cannot taste bitter. One way to reduce the bitter taste is to pick the youngest and fastest growing leaves out of direct sunlight, as sun exposure increases bitterness.

            • pseudo@jlai.lu
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              5 months ago

              Sure but it will still have bitterness and that’s what there is to like about this type of salad

      • Slovene@feddit.nl
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        5 months ago

        The whole dandelion is edible. Flower too. I don’t know about the parachutes though.

      • over_clox@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        People that are too lazy or can’t afford to cut their lawn typically also can’t or don’t care to afford pesticides.

        Edit: I’ll eat the spiders too.

        • Eatspancakes84@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          Not (frequently) mowing your lawn is one of the best things you can do for your local bee population. Dandelions and other meadow flowers are great sources of nutrition for them. Obviously, don’t use pesticides either.